PanPastel are the ultimate soft pastel medium for artists and colourists everywhere, with a huge range of colours and blending capabilities. These unique palette-formed pastels are dry yet laydown on the paper like paint, meaning you can create some amazing effects with little effort. The PanPastels can be applied with brushes, sponges, fingers, etc. but they go hand in hand with Sofft Tools, a range of applicators specifically created for use with PanPastels. Each colour is loaded with the finest quality artist pigments, so colours appear thick and vivid with only a few light swipes on the pastel.

As you know I have been working a lot lately with soft pastel sticks to create cool background blends, but I have to say from the second I touched PanPastel to paper I could see and feel the difference immediately. The colour is so saturated and smooth, leaving less white spaces and more time between re-loading of pastel. I couldn't believe how little dust there was when using PanPastel compared to other pastels; there's barely any excess both when picking up the colour and laying it down, which is fantastic as I was having so many problems with smudging before. The colour seems to 'stick' to the paper from the start, leaving minimal residue and no need for a fixative, so your favourite colouring books are safe from a smudgy, dusty mess!

PanPastels can be mixed either on paper or in the palette itself, and there's no worry of cross-contamination as colours disappear with just a few swipes with the sponge. So if you mix a dark blue into the yellow Pan, it will come off easily and not ruin the yellow at all. This is great from both a mixing point of view- you can use and apply it like paint to create more colours- and from a longevity point of view as they are hardy and will last a long time.

PanPastels are fully erasable with any normal rubber, which is excellent as I am always taking pastels over the lines! The Sofft Tools make this easier too, as they are available in pointed knives for detail, right up to wide sponges for covering large areas quickly. There are flat, round, oval and point tips for manipulating small or oddly-shaped areas. Sofft Tool sponges need only be wiped on tissue before moving to another colour, and can be washed, air dried and reused.

You can use the PanPastels in the palette format and then stack them up for portability or storage, as they all screw to the bottom of each other. This keeps them separate, clean, compact and easy to transport. They can be bought in 5, 10, 20, or 80 colour sets, each pack coming with free Sofft Tools for you to get started straight away. They are quite expensive, which is the only drawback for the casual colourist. If you're serious about art, you need these in your arsenal. It's around £15 for a 5-pack on Amazon, which is affordable to try them out before you take the plunge and buy the lot!

Here's a video of me creating one of the pictures above.

Now who fancies a chance to win some of these bad boys?! I have very generously been offered 3 sets to give away, each comprising of 5 PanPastels (you choose the colours), a Palette tray with lid, and a selection of Sofft Tools to get you started. All you have to do is tell me how many colours there are in the PanPastel range? Hint: check the website! Enter in the Rafflecopter below and 3 winners will be randomly chosen. This competition is open WORLDWIDE!

I am a total newbie to coloring so it would be wonderful to get me started. Thanx!

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Kelly marsh

18/8/2015 07:09:22 pm

This would be great would would be great would love to win and try something new

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Annette Derksen

18/8/2015 07:16:43 pm

Wow these pastels would be awesome to own. Have used some pastels in the past but haven't did much coloring for such a long time,
Just started again in June of 2015.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity and seeing how they are so easy they are to use..

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Tracy Rodes

18/8/2015 08:25:34 pm

These look so fun & creamy to apply! Great job with the review! Thanks!

I just looked at Pan Pastels again at Dick Blick's they look so smooth, I want to touch them, or play with them...but they were all sealed. I like pastels, but they are so messy & dusty. would love to win some of these

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Dorothy B

27/8/2015 10:47:53 am

Love these...Fabulous giveaway thank you

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Alexa

28/8/2015 06:25:45 am

Thank you for the review, these pastels seem fabulous and I would love too try them out :)

Claire, I've been looking for a comparison of Colorfin PanPastels and Armadillo PanPastels. Google isn't finding a comparison for me!

Have you ever compared them? or ever tried the Armadillo brand?
Thanks!

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Claire

1/4/2016 06:15:10 pm

I have never heard of the Armadillo brand! I'll have to check those out x

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Kate

1/4/2016 11:40:26 pm

Oh, OK. I'm looking at Amazon.ca and both are there. Armadillo aren't "cheap" but they do cost less than the Colorfin. I like the Armadillo packages, i.e. their color selections/groupings. But I want to make sure they do as good a job as your description here (and all the other reviews I'm finding of the Colorfin).

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About Claire

I'm a 30 year old mum of 2, who uses colouring & art tode-stress and help with anxiety. Join me in discovering new books & materials :)

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